Schools to Watch

Welcome to the Schools to Watch-Taking Center Stage website!

This website is your guide to the Schools to Watch-Taking Center Stage program and a resource for middle level reform. Through this gateway you can:

Learn more about the national and state Schools to Watch programs.
Tour the STW-TCS model middle schools and explore the programs, cultures, and characteristics that led to their selection as models for other middle schools.
Use a powerful School Self-Study and Rating Rubric (PDF) based on the STW criteria and on Taking Center Stage as a guide for school improvement.
Discover the benefits of being named a School to Watch-Taking Center Stage.
Review the Principal's Checklist (PDF) and access application materials for the 2009 STW-TCS selection cycle.

Considering Applying for 2009?
If you believe your school is a model for others and is on the move toward success in the areas of academic excellence, developmental responsiveness, social equity and organizational structures that supports middle level reform, we encourage you to explore the possibility of applying to become a 2009 Schools to Watch-Taking Center Stage school.

Take the Application Steps now!

Congratulations to the 2008 Schools to Watch!

As the lead agency for the Schools to Watch-Taking Center Stage program, the California League of Middle Schools would like to congratulate the following schools on their selection as 2008 Schools to Watch:

Staff members from these four schools have worked extremely hard to create supportive, engaging communities that actively serve the academic and socio-emotional needs of all learners.

CLMS would like to extend its deepest gratitude to the Schools to Watch committee members from the organizations below and to Dr. Irvin Howard, Program Director. The Schools to Watch-Taking Center Stage program is offered by:

California Middle Grades Alliance
California League of Middle Schools
California Department of Education
California Schools to Watch- Taking Center Stage Model School Program
California Teachers Association
Association of California School Administrators and its Middle Grades Council
California School Boards Association
California County Superintendents Education Services Association and its Secondary Subcommittee of the Curriculum and Instruction Steering Committee
California Middle Grades Partnership Network
Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID)
Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR-UP)
United Way of Greater Los Angeles

Media inquiries and questions about the new Schools to Watch may be directed to Dr. Irvin Howard, Program Director, at STWCAL@aol.com or (951) 318-7515.

Thanks to Holt, Rinehart & Winston, the Stuart Foundation and Texas Instruments for supporting Schools to Watch-Taking Center Stage.

California League of Middle Schools
6615 East Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 120, Long Beach, California 90803
Voice: 562/430-3136 or 800/326-1880 . . . FAX: 562/430-5607. . . E-Mail: info@clms.net